The Edmonton Oilers took another hit on Monday night, and this one came with Zach Hyman leaving the game midway through the second period after a collision with Andreas Englund against the Detroit Red Wings.
At first glance, the play didn’t appear especially severe. But a closer look told the story: Hyman’s head struck the glass, and he grabbed at it as he went down to the ice. He was taken out of the game and did not return, with the move likely tied to concussion protocol.
Afterward, head coach Mike Babcock had no update on Hyman’s status.
“We’re hoping to get guys back, not losing more guys,” Babcock said. “You guys saw what I saw… Any time you get injured twice, it’s not a good sign, obviously.
“He’s a very important piece for us, so that wasn’t fun to watch that.”
Hyman’s departure forced Colton Dach into his spot on the second line alongside Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Kasperi Kapanen, and Dach made it count. He scored late in the third period to give Edmonton the lead, but the Oilers still came up short, falling 4-3 in the shootout.
The injury list is already crowded. Edmonton is without Mattias Ekholm, Matt Savoie, Jason Dickinson, and Devon Levi. Hyman had also already missed six games earlier in the season with another injury, and another trip to the IR looks possible.
Even with the bruising injury luck, the Oilers have done enough to stay afloat. They opened the season 8-2-2 and woke up Tuesday first in the Pacific Division and third in the NHL with 18 points. But the recent slide in play has made the need for healthy bodies harder to ignore.
Depth scoring has been part of the issue, though Edmonton did get goals from Isaac Howard and Dach on Monday night. Howard also buried a power-play one-timer.
The standings still look strong, but the Oilers are clearly reaching the point where they need help back in the lineup.
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